FIGHT BACK. Chauncey W. Crandall
Fight Back:
Beat the Coronavirus
By Dr. Chauncey W. Crandall IV, M.D., and Charlotte Libov
FIGHT BACK
Copyright © 2020 by Humanix Books
All rights reserved
Humanix Books, P.O. Box 20989, West Palm Beach, FL 33416, USA
www.humanixbooks.com | [email protected]
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Disclaimer: The information presented in this book is not specific medical advice for any individual and should not substitute medical advice from a health professional. If you have (or think you may have) a medical problem, speak to your doctor or a health professional immediately about your risk and possible treatments. Do not engage in any care or treatment without consulting a medical professional.
ISBN: 9781630061692 (Paperback)
ISBN: 9781630061708 (E-book)
To my colleagues, the physicians and nurses on the front line of battle of the coronavirus 19 pandemic that has stopped the world.
Also to my patients the Lord has entrusted to me.
My prayer is always for your protection and perfect health.
May God keep you safe.
—Dr. Chauncey Crandall
To the memory of my aunt Sylvia, who was paralyzed in the Spanish flu pandemic, and to my mother, Henny Libov, who devoted her life to her care.
—Charlotte Libov
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,
the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.
Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.
—Psalm 91
Contents
A Note from Dr. Crandall
Introduction:
The Arrival of COVID-19
Part One: COVID-19: What You Need to Know
Chapter 1:
Why COVID-19 Is Worse Than the Flu
Chapter 2:
Who Is at Risk?
Chapter 3:
Symptoms
Chapter 4:
Getting Tested
Chapter 5:
How to Treat Symptoms
Chapter 6:
Caring for Someone with COVID-19
Chapter 7:
Unusual Symptoms in the Elderly
Part Two: How to Prevent COVID-19
Chapter 8:
How COVID-19 Spreads
Chapter 9:
Social Distancing
Chapter 10:
Handwashing
Chapter 11:
When to Wear a Mask
Chapter 12:
When to Wear Gloves
Chapter 13:
Food Shopping, Takeout, and Delivery
Chapter 14:
Disinfecting Your Home
Chapter 15:
Traveling Safely
Part Three: Get Healthy to Fight COVID-19
Chapter 16:
Sleep Is the Key to Immunity
Chapter 17:
What to Eat for a Better Immune System
Chapter 18:
Supplements to Boost Immunity
Chapter 19:
Exercise to Strengthen Immunity
Chapter 20:
Ways to Reduce Stress
Part Four: Treating and Protecting against COVID-19
Chapter 21:
How Severe COVID-19 Is Treated
Chapter 22:
New Drugs to Treat COVID-19
Chapter 23:
When Will There Be a Vaccine?
Chapter 24:
Antibody Testing
Chapter 25:
Is COVID-19 Here to Stay?
Chapter 26:
Protecting Loved Ones in Nursing Homes
How to Create Your Personal COVID-19 Strategy
When I awakened on January 21, 2020, there was no hint of the nightmare to come. But the first case of an unknown illness had just been confirmed in Washington state, and the 2019 novel coronavirus, or coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), had begun silently creeping into the United States. Fewer than three months later, all of our fifty states would be under a disaster declaration for the first time in U.S. history!
How could this happen? How could a microscopic viral pathogen bring down not only our economy but that of other great countries in the world?
Unlike some others, I have seen other pandemics up close. I have been involved in fighting epidemics throughout my career, including AIDS, malaria, dysentery, and cholera.
Prior to becoming a cardiologist, I trained to become an anthropologist, and I learned to appreciate that there is more than Western medicine, that the medical systems created by ancient cultures have much to teach us.
One thing that has perplexed scientists since the world first learned of COVID-19 is the mystery of how this pathogen can cause such wildly varying results. It’s puzzling how some people don’t even get symptoms, others survive it relatively unscathed, and yet in some people, it kills.
I can come to only one conclusion—our best defense against COVID-19 is to prevail over this virus by becoming stronger and healthier and by strengthening our immune system so that can fight back against it.
Throughout this book, I will give you many strategies to use in fighting COVID-19, and as this is a formidable virus,